Original Content.

Designed By: Nico of The Talented Tenth and Original Content Creative Studios.

Based: Brooklyn, New York.

“If you do it right, it will last forever.”

-Massimo Vignelli.

The above quote is our mission statement. We at Original Content Creative Studios believe that if you truly put the time and effort at not just creating something, but creating it right, it will last forever. Focusing on every pixel, the alignment of each individual element and the story behind each piece is our most important desire. Our mission is for Original Content to be a strong presence in the fashion industry.

The name Original Content has been floating through my heads for many years and was meant for other platforms, but when hearing about this Skillshare class/opportunity, I decided that it was best used to for a clothing brand. The name itself flows from the mouth and speaks to our customers on what we have to offer, as well as it is sort of a positive mantra in itself.

I am unique.

I am Original Content.

Most street wear brands tend to be very niche and theirs no problem with that, but the goal for Original Content is to look to the future for inspiration and to constantly be evolving.

The inspiration for this coming line is the Arab Summer and all of the uprisings that are occurring not only in the Middle East but also all over the world. The line is entitled “Youth Full of Fire”. If you are a listener of Outkast, then you will recognize that line from the track “Gasoline Dreams” where Andre 3000 sings, “Youth full of fire ain’t got anywhere to go! Nowhere to go!”

It’s a somewhat dark collection and I was a bit worried about it being my opening collection because I didn’t want to bottle myself into a specific niche, but I feel confident in my skills and believe I will be able to expand and grow.

Check Availability:

A few weeks ago, I went to Brooklyn in order to see if the name was already taken. Apparently there is an Original Content Communications, which is some sort of Communications Company—go figure. Due to that, I had to officially change my name to Original Content Creative Studios, but I asked the person in charge and he stated that I could still use the name Original Content for the clothing.

Working On Slogan:

Coming up with a slogan was a bit of an ordeal. I wanted something simple like the Nike’s “Just Do it” or Apple’s “Think Different”. After brainstorming dozens of names, I ended up with “Create Your Fate, Stay True, Release Your Talents, Be Fearless and Embrace Your Talents”. I decided to stick with BE FEARLESS because I want my customer to understand that anything is possible as long as they set their fear aside. Don’t use fear as a way to hinder you, but as a motivator to obtain your dreams.

Developing Word mark:

When designing Original Content, the only competitor in my head was Nike. They are a brand that everyone relates to. Although my plan is not to have a sports brand, I want to be able to reach the overall population where anyone can wear Original Content: from a 16-year-old boy to an 87-year-old grandma. Due to that, I wanted to stick with a word mark and icon that was timeless.

I’ve always been obsessed with Swiss Design so I looked to the International Typographic Style for inspiration to come up with the word mark and logo.

As you can see there are several different versions of the logo. Even though they are different you can see that Swiss Design still heavily influenced me.

Black was used for the text of the word mark with a white background to promote readability and creates an ease to reverse the color without losing the strength of the word mark. Black and white is also used because Original Content is a brand from Brooklyn, New York, and the colors pay homage to the Brooklyn Nets' black and white colorway.

An altered form of Futura is used as the typeface for the word mark. It is kerned to create a nice balance for each individual letter. The G is flipped as well as altered, which coincidently looks like a refresh button.

The white x within the red circle is the icon. The x signifies destroying the status quo and the red is used to denote a state of emergency. Where it is crucial to create original content or else we--as a human race-- will be a group of consumers and not creators. The white x with the red background also pays homage to the Swiss, which is where I went to for design inspiration. The Swiss flag is a white cross with a red background.

Customer Profile

As stated before, I'm out for Nike's audience with this brand. Nike is obtainable for everyone and I want to make a brand that everyone can wear. Supreme is another brand that I believe is reaching the level where people of all ages and background can rock without seeming like they are trying to come off in a specific way.

Concept/Theme

There has been a surge of rebellion spreading across the world. Citizens of the earth are starting to realize that they have a voice and are making themselves heard. Throughout the Middle East, there are stories of citizens rebelling against the government. No longer are people willing to sit while their government mistreats them and takes advantage of the control that the people have given to them.

This was the original concept for Original Content. I wanted to shine line on the rebellion movements that are happening in the Arab spring through design. I began playing with the Arabic letters and trying to create something thought provoking from that, but since I don’t read, write or speak Arabic, I decided to stay clear from that because I didn’t want to design something that may be offensive to a group of people.

There was also this idea of a Hero vs. a Villain and how those roles change depending on whose side you’re own. The rebels in Egypt are seen as villains in the eyes of those who side with President Mubarak, but at the same time seen as heroes by those who want to bring down the current government. I wanted to play around with that concept and see what would come from it, but the designs that I came up with were very cliché of the current street wear brand with a lot of cursives, etc.

With that same rebellious spirit in mind, my next place of inspiration was the 80’s punk scene. Bands like the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and others had risen in the late 70’s and early 80’s due to their hardcore looks. Many of the punk bands that came out during this time were ant-government and were seen as rebels and troublemakers. This idea stuck with me more because I feel like fashion may be heading to another punk phase.

I looked at artwork made for the band Black Flag, the Misfits and others for influence and here are pictures of my initial ideas.

Collection

Elements

I just finished designing the collection and I wanted to wait to upload it but I'd like immediate feedback. I'm going to put in the rest of the information later.